Hey Now — Come to Our Next Sustainable Garden Conference

Author: verackm

Spring is here and the Department of Urban Horticulture and Design at Farmingdale State College invites you to attend the 6th Sustainable Garden conference on Saturday April 14, 2018.

This year’s event – entitled Reclaim Your Turf: Designing Sustainable Landscapes — will be held in our greenhouse complex from 8:30am – 2pm. Regional speakers will discuss topics or demonstrate techniques relating to the themes of the department’s Sustainable Garden. All of the specifics, including the exact agenda, presentation topics and speaker bios, can be found in this PDF flyer.

Admission to the conference is $35.00, free for members in good standing, and includes a continental breakfast and lunch.

To preregister for the event, at the special rate of $30.00, please send your check (made out to ASC – the Sustainable Garden) directly to: Michael Veracka, Department of Urban Horticulture & Design, Thompson Hall, Farmingdale State College, Farmingdale, NY 11735. Preregistration ends on April 9th.

Spring is well underway, our academic year about to end, and the Sustainable Garden at Farmingdale State College is presenting several upcoming workshops of interest to gardeners.

Our workshop series begins on Wednesday evening May 24th with a presentation entitled No Land, No Problem: Vertical Hydroponic Food Production.Here’s the description of the talk:

Many people are interested in growing a portion of their own food but have limited or no access to land. No problem, there is a solution in sight! This presentation will show you how you can produce a portion of your own food utilizing a vertical hydroponic system that is versatile, mobile and allows you to bring live produce to your table year round. Growing vertical food produces two times the amount of food in half the amount of space, while using less resources. When you incorporate such a system you can help promote a more sustainable and local food production system.

Presenter bio: William Turano first discovered the impact of large-scale industrialized agriculture in 2013 while taking an anthropology course at Suffolk County Community College. Around the same time he began turning what began as a gardening hobby, into a small-scale organic farm. At that point he knew that he wanted to grow food and help feed the world. William’s business, Lifted Roots Vertical Farms (www.liftedroots.net ), provides consumers with fresh, healthy and sustainable grown produce. His indoor hydroponic farm uses 95% less water compared to traditional farms, and is an almost carbon neutral operation.

Our next talk will take place on Wednesday June 7, 2017 Time: 6:30 – 7:30 pm and is entitled “Rainwater: Don’t Let it Go Down the Drain”
Here’s the description of the talk:

Harvesting rainwater provides an alternative to using potable drinking water for gardening and other home uses. In this workshop you will learn practical methods to capture a portion of your own water for landscape applications. You will learn tips to save money by reducing household water usage and keep your plants healthy with non-chlorinated rainwater. Collecting rainwater on your site reduces flooding and pollution to local streams, rivers, and lakes.

Presenter bio: Mark Scaramucci is the principal owner of Permascape Designs (http://www.permascapedesigns.com ). A certified permaculture designer, Mark’s ecological design practice creates functional, interdependent systems serving both nature and its living habitats. His work focuses on storm water management, indoor/outdoor air quality and energy-use reduction.

All workshops take place rain or shine on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 – 7:30 pm. As is our custom, all events are preceded with a potluck dinner (5:30-6:30 pm). Please bring a dish to share. The meeting location is the Kiosk at the Sustainable Garden, a component of the Department of Urban Horticulture & Design Teaching Gardens. Please bring your own chair too!

These workshops kick off an exciting summer season of events (workshops, lectures and potluck gatherings) in the garden. More events will be added soon! We hope to see you at an upcoming event!

Remember when attending an event at the Sustainable Garden to check in first at the University Police Station to ask for a temporary parking permit. This ensures your car will not be ticketed while you are at our event! See the enclosed Campus Map for the exact location; it’s directly near the Teaching Gardens! https://www.farmingdale.edu/about/pdf/farm_map.pdf

And don’t forget about our department’s annual spring plant sale that takes place in our greenhouse May 9-11th from 9am to 5pm!

Spring is fast approaching and the Sustainable Garden at Farmingdale State College is presenting several upcoming workshops of interest to gardeners.

All workshops take place rain or shine on Saturday mornings from 9am -11am. The meeting location is the Kiosk at the Sustainable Garden, a component of the Department of Urban Horticulture & Design Teaching Gardens.

These workshops kick off an exciting season of events (workshops, lectures and potluck gatherings) in the garden. We hope to see you at an upcoming event!

Remember when attending an event at the Sustainable Garden to check in first at the University Police Station to ask for a temporary parking permit. This ensures your car will not be ticketed while you are at our event! See the enclosed Campus Map for the exact location; it’s directly near the Teaching Gardens! https://www.farmingdale.edu/about/pdf/farm_map.pdf

The 6th annual Sustainable Garden Conference will take place in late winter or early spring, 2017. As always, the conference will feature an array of regional and national renowned speakers lecturing on a variety of sustainable landscape design and horticultural topics.

Please check back frequently to these pages for all the latest news regarding the theme of the conference, exact dates, speakers and fees.